Sports Gazpacho

Posted On 16 Jul 2015 / 0 Comment

It’s just too hot and humid for a batch of sports gumbo. So I’m tossing a bunch of refrigerated sports stuff into the blender and whipping up a batch of sports gazpacho. (Gazpacho is a chilled tomato soup that I’ve only eaten a couple of times and have never had the patience to make myself.) Here goes…

…I watched more of Wimbledon this past weekend than I have in years. Back in the day, the men’s final of the grass court tennis tournament was one of my favorite televised sporting events. My old buddy Yogi used to throw an amazing “Breakfast at Wimbledon” party. Someone would bake fancy quiches while the rest of us conjured up Bloody Marys, screwdrivers, mimosas and other concoctions created to make a.m. drinking more socially acceptable. I miss those parties…

…Novak Djokovic spoiled Roger Federer’s attempt to win a record eighth men’s singles championship last Sunday. The first two sets went to tiebreakers, but Djokovic’s serve was just more reliable down the stretch. In the end, the Serb won 7-6 (7-1), 6-7 (10-12), 6-4, 6-3. Federer is a brilliant, graceful tennis player… but he doesn’t show much emotion on the court. Djokovic, on the other hand, is a fist-shaking, highly vocal type. Federer looked a bit psyched out at times…

…I miss the days of John McEnroe, to be honest. Mac was the best serve and volley player I’ve ever seen. He would throw that left-handed hook serve into an opponent’s backhand corner and get to the net with seemingly superhuman speed. He was also prone to the occasional emotional outburst…

…Serena Williams plays with emotion and occasionally crosses over into McEnroe-ish meltdowns, but she was calm, cool and collected in Saturday’s women’s Wimby final. Williams picked up her 21st career Grand Slam title with a 6-4, 6-4 win over Garbine Muguruza and, at 33, became the oldest female winner of a major in the Open era. She has now won Wimbledon, the French Open and the Australian Open in 2015. If she wins the U.S. Open (which begins August 31), she’ll become the first “calendar Grand Slam” winner since Steffi Graf did it in 1988…

…But despite Williams’ dominance, some press coverage of her Wimbledon victory revisited the sad “body shaming” that lame reporters have relied on throughout her career. Serena isn’t built like other tennis players. She’s thicker and a lot more muscular. She also routinely mops the court with scrawnier, whiter players. There are those who say the younger Williams sister might be the best player… ever. Haters gotta hate. Winners just win…

…ESPN’s decision to give Caitlyn Jenner its Arthur Ashe Award for “courage” is getting a lot of criticism. Understandably. The “worldwide leader” overlooked the courageous efforts of several current athletes in favor of someone who has never been an athlete. Bruce Jenner won the Olympic decathlon in 1976. Caitlyn Jenner hasn’t participated in any athletic completion that I’m aware of. Bruce’s decision to “transition” into a female didn’t really come as much of surprise to most folks. Caitlyn’s decision to turn that transition into a media circus seemed more driven by narcissism than courage…

…ESPN has been a bit vague about the selection process for the Arthur Ashe Award, but I think that Thomas Lee Jr. should have gotten more consideration. Lee is the Iraq war vet who competes in triathlons with an artificial leg. That, sports fans, is courage…